All-NBA teams announced today, which could have a drastic impact on the NBA’s trade market

The NBA will announce their All-NBA teams later today, which has the chance to have drastic repercussions on the NBA’s trade market.

The most obvious of which, and the one which would impact the Sixers the most, is whether Paul George is selected for one of the three teams.

If George does make one of the three All-NBA teams he’d qualify for the Designated Player Exception, allowing the Pacers to start an extension for George at 35% of the cap rather than the 30% he would otherwise qualify for. That would allow the Pacers to offer upwards of $70 million more than other teams, effectively taking him off the trade market.

If George is traded, he would no longer qualify for the DPE.

If George doesn’t make one of the three All-NBA teams, the Pacers are in a much tougher spot. They can hold on to George and hope that he qualifies for the All-NBA team next season, at which point he would once again qualify for the DPE, and the extra money that comes with it. But they won’t find this out until next spring, well beyond the last time they could trade George before he reaches unrestricted free agency.

George has a player option for the 2018-19 season which he is expected to opt out of.

If George doesn’t make the All-NBA team next year and isn’t DPE eligible when he hits free agency, the Pacers would still hold his bird rights, which would allow the Pacers to offer George more than other teams (a five year contract with 8% raises rather than a four year contract with 5% raises), but the disparity isn’t as drastic as it would be if he were DPE eligible. Staring a rebuild in the eye and George in the middle of his physical prime, the threat of a contender swooping in to pry George away in free agency would be a big concern for the Pacers.

Not qualifying this year doesn’t guarantee a trade — he could still qualify for the DPE next year, and the Pacers could still offer him an extra year and more money than other teams even if he doesn’t — but that uncertainty could spur on action. The closer the Pacers get to losing Paul George for nothing, and the fewer opportunities George has to qualify for the DPE, the more willing they’d likely be to entertain getting value while they still can.

That could impact draft night in a big way, since the draft is one of the two biggest days for making trades in the NBA. Boston and Philadelphia hold the 1st and 3rd overall pick in the draft, respectively. The 76ers reportedly made an offer for George at the deadline, and Danny Ainge has reportedly been “close” to acquiring every available star for the last half-decade.

If George is voted to an All-NBA team later today that chatter could die down. If not, expect the rumors to persist through June 22nd’s draft.

Derek Bodner is a credentialed reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers independently for DerekBodner.com. He is also a college basketball scout for DraftExpress.com, and an NBA contributor for The Ringer.
Contact Information: derek.bodner@draftexpress.com / @DerekBodnerNBA